I’ve been lucky to have Cheri Hanson on MoxieCast for a trilogy of deep, powerful conversations. For those of you who haven’t yet heard Episode 1, Cheri is a writer, content strategist and creative dynamo. Most of all, she’s a great conversationalist with a sharp mind and a gentle wit.

This episode is our second jam, and we get into a squidgy, but important subject: those persistent negative thoughts that drive our behaviour, and keep our lives smaller, more confined and heavier. Boo.

Not sure what I’m talking about? Maybe your self-worth is only as good as your latest accomplishment. So if you’re not achieving every moment, and didn’t manage your entire phone-book-sized to-do list today, you’re a loser. That’s what your inner voice says every time. Oh and rest is for wimps, because, hey, you should be achieving something! These bad boys are persistent negative thoughts…

Getting caught in the cycle of persistent negative thoughts can mean that you unconsciously curate evidence for your not-enoughness – and guess what? You’ll always find some proof. So the cycle continues.

I’m about to have a vulnerability hangover. This time, Cheri interviews me about how my persistent old stories – like I’m not good enough, and I’m only as good as my last achievement – can be transformed into new lighter practices that lead to more joy, lightness and fulfilment.

We discuss how to recognise a persistent negative thought, and what to do when you’re wallowing in self-pity (…because that always feels gross and goes nowhere worth going).

We discuss:

The purpose of a “story” (and how we spin and self-administer them)

How we make our persistent thoughts stronger by feeding and paying attention to them